Maryam Tahmasebi, a psychology professor living in Los Angeles, and her family have been held in detention facilities across Texas for several months following the revocation of their legal permanent resident status by US authorities. Tahmasebi, her husband Seyed Eissa Hashemi, and their teenage son were all lawful permanent residents who entered the United States legally and had established professional lives before their detention in April.
The State Department cited Hashemi’s familial connection to a prominent figure from Iran’s 1979 hostage crisis as justification for terminating the family’s immigration status. Hashemi’s mother, Masoumeh Ebtekar, served as a spokesperson for the group that occupied the US embassy in Tehran and held American diplomats and staff captive. Tahmasebi has characterized the government action as “bloodline punishment,” arguing that her family is being held accountable for actions taken decades before her husband was born. She wrote that the family sought to leave the country voluntarily, but the Department of Homeland Security rejected their request for voluntary departure.
The State Department and DHS have not specified whether the family members themselves pose a national security threat or have engaged in wrongdoing. Officials have declined to provide detailed justifications for the revocation decision, citing the sensitive nature of immigration determinations. Tahmasebi’s legal team contends that no evidence has been presented demonstrating that the family threatens national security, and that no charges have been filed against them under relevant provisions of immigration law.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the family’s deportation while legal challenges proceed. The government’s action against Tahmasebi’s family is part of a broader enforcement effort targeting relatives of Iranian officials, which has intensified amid escalating US-Iran hostilities. The administration has also revoked status for other individuals identified as relatives of Iranian government figures, though some of those determinations have been disputed or called into question by subsequent reporting.
Tahmasebi remains detained at a facility in Dilley, Texas, while her husband is held separately. She has described deteriorating physical and mental health conditions resulting from months of incarceration and expressed concern about the indefinite nature of their detention.
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